Adiga, Aravind

Balram Halwai is educated in the art of corruption when he is hired as the driver for the wealthiest man in his village in India, by witnessing his employers bribe and barter through his rear view mirror.

Balram Halwai is educated in the art of corruption when he is hired as the driver for the wealthiest man in his village in India, by witnessing his employers bribe and barter through his rear view mirror.

Collects stories that depict the troubled lives of citizens of Kittur, India; and features the misleading of twelve-year-old Ziauddin, who works as a gofer for a tea shop but is duped by a light skin man's kindness; a young girl who begs for money to support her father's drug habit; a factory owner whose failing business forces him to consider unfavorable practices; and more.

Real estate developer Dharmen Shah hopes to seal his dynasty with one of Shanghai's most elite buildings, but when he meets his match in retired schoolteacher Masterji, a resident of a once respectable apartment building Dharmen needs to buy in order to build his skyscraper, he is pushed to the limit as Masterji's refusal to move threatens to destroy everything Dharmen has worked for.